A great day in October (part 1 )

Two weeks ago, my friend and I had the privilege of taking classes from the wonderful and talented Wendy Vecchi of Studio 490 fame. Please, if you are unfamiliar with Wendy , Stampers Anonymous or Ranger Ink products...run....do not walk to her website at : http://studio490art.blogspot.com you will be amazed at the creative mind that is Wendy Vecchi. I have been following her blog for quite awhile now and could not wait to sign up for classes at the Queen's Ink : http://www.queensink.com in Savage Maryland. We have no local scrapbooking stores, only chain craft stores so it is quite the treat to visit such a beautiful store that is literally packed to the rafters with treats for the eye as well as every supply needed to carry out any artistic vision. Love the people, love the store... LOVE this hobby.

We signed up to take two classes. The first, a great tag book of techniques.We inked and stamped and perfect pearled our way through four hours of FUN and had some great tags with descriptions of the technique so that we will always know how we made that cool effect.
The second class was a home art piece showcasing Wendy's new line of art parts. This four hour class was smaller and more relaxed. We had lots of stories and laughs shared during these four hours. Not to mention really cool art at the end.

I will post those projects another time. For now, I wanted to get  the photos of her art, and class time and a couple very special photos with her onto this blog for your viewing pleasure.

Here is my friend Wendy ( and partner in scrapping crime), Wendy Vecchi and myself

Wendy was just as cool in person as she appears on her blog. She was very gracious, and fun, sharing some funny stories of her work and a little bit of her personal life with us. I was really thrilled when we went up to say hello and she asked me if I was pixiedust ( my online moniker) from the blog. " Yes" I must have squealed and she gave me a big ole hug. Now that is someone who really does take the time to read her blog comments. It made my day !

Halloween treat

Wilton makes the coolest things....don't you think? Here they have done it again and made these great molds for Halloween....but these are not just mere candy molds...oh no... not at all.... for they contain something very special indeed....in the middle of all that candy coating... is a .... wait for it.....
oreo cookie. Hallelujah.... one more way to get the wonderful chocolate sandwich cookie filled with creme all dressed up for trick or treating....
I'm sorry the photos are so poor.... I couldn't seem to get a decent one....by the time I noticed that they were blurry and glaring....well..... there weren't enough to photograph properly....but aren't you glad SOMEONE thought to take a bite out...ahem....to show you the inside of the cookie?

Quick Halloween tag

Halloween is rapidly approaching. EEEKKKKK! Scary! I have tons of Halloween decorations that have yet to make their yearly appearance. I am behind...as usual...but I did carve out some time to play with  the new Martha Stewart clear stamps.
Background inked with distress inks of mustard seed, dried marigold,wild honey and spiced marmalade. Images stamped with Ranger black archival ink and a little black diamond stickles added the glitz. Black ribbon from Michaels. 

M.I.A.

Well, the start of the school year, a new job, soccer season, and computer problems have all led to a decidedly serious lack of posts... not that I have had much time for creativity....
But....things are changing.... at least creatively.... I have done four scrapbook pages and two cards in the last few days.... YAY me!..... but... what I would like to show you is my youngest child's collage done for school as a way of introducing herself to her classmates and teacher. She could have done a regular old poster, but I thought it might be fun to give her a canvas and let her roll with it  .

 

Canvas background - Tattered Angels glimmer mists, soccer ball- Cricut soccer cartridge, butterfly- Martha Stewart punch, Recollections pearls, Alphabet, dollar store, paper rosette done with Martha Stewart score board and topped with a button.

Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge

This week the challenge over at : http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com  was to create a layered piece of art. I saw this great tutorial over at Hero Arts this week and wanted to give it a try.  The bag is made from.... wait for it.... an honest to goodness envelope....I know...I know.... who would have thought? Brilliant I tell you.... here is the link.... You have to see it to believe it!  http://www.heroarts.com/learning/technique.cfm?techID=173

Recipe: plain white envelope inked with distress inks in Victorian velvet and tea dye.

Friends definition stamp: Hero Arts

Mini scroll : Maya Road misted with Olive Vine by Tattered Angels

Flowers: Tattered Florals by Tim Holtz

Memo Pins: Tim Holtz

Gem & Ribbon from Michaels

Tim inspired project

Anyone who knows me or ever glances at this blog, knows one thing about me.... I cannot...and I say this with utmost sincerity...I cannot make anything without my Tim Holtz Distress inks.... I am such a Tim Holtz website stalker....er...  fan.... I have to know....what did Tim invent today? How did he know what I needed before even the tiniest seed of an idea could form in my creative brain....what new technique  will make me want to smack my head because of it's simplicity but UTTER GENIUS ? I have learned so much from his products, videos and step by step instructions. He constantly inspires me to create... and to enjoy the journey....
Having recently returned from a 2 day trip to Creating Keepsakes Convention, I had a few mementos and photos that I wanted to put into a mini album.... I wish I had more photos, but my smaller and more portable digital camera, ran out of memory stick room....yes, I know, I should check these things before leaving home....but I didn't....
The idea for the book started with Tim Holtz's Alteration line- On the Edge dies. I used kraft card stock cut to approximately 5 1/2 x 12 inches and ran each short edge through  the die creating the cool design on the edge. I did this 2 more times, cutting each subsequent sheet about a half inch to an inch shorter to stagger the edges to have different length. Next, I cut lengths of Tim Holtz idea-ology paper stack- RETRO GRUNGE to fit the right side of each page and ran those through the die as well. I embossed each of those cuts with Tim's Sizzix embossing folders: Notebook, Rays, Collage, Retro Circles or Cuttlebug embossing folder Seeing Spots, Divine Swirl and Spots and Dots.
I distressed each embossed sheet with either antique linen, crushed olives, tea dye, vintage photo and corduroy inks or combo of a few of those.
All stamps by ....yeah....you already know.... Tim Holtz Visual Artistry line.... French Market, Regal Flourish, Life's Possibilities, Urban Grunge, and The Journey collections.
Fun bits were added: Tim Holtz game spinners, metal flowers and words and one tiny prima flower distressed and layered in a metal flower.
The inner page flower die cut with the Tim Holtz tattered florals Alteration die and layered with more metal accessories.
Little pockets were created for tickets and tags and a few more photos and memorabilia.
Originally, I was going to just staple the book together but it became a little too bulky for that, so i just wound lots of twine around the spine to hold it together.
This tiny little book makes me happy, and reminds me of a really fun memory. That is the whole point isn't it?

Hope you enjoy it too!

Cards for Kids

Hello and welcome to the Lawn Fawn Hearts Cards for Kids Blog Hop! We have all come together today to make cards for a wonderful cause, Cards for kids : http://jennifermcguireink.typepad.com/my_weblog/we-are-collecting-cards-for-ten-children-and-their-families--kate--sami----a-few-things-to-know--this-card-drive-will-be-on.html! We hope to encourage you to also make cards for this great cause and have fun along the way, too! So please hop along with us, and make sure to leave comments as there will be prizes for commenters and participants! So let's get going! Also, if you are lost in the hop, you can always start at the beginning at the Lawn Fawn blog :http://lawnfawn.blogspot.com. Thank you so much for hopping along with us today!

Hopefully, you  have arrived from Clare's blog: http://bearydocardsinc.blogspot.com/
just in time to visit with me for awhile before hopping on over to :
Grace's blog: http://gracehester.typepad.com/
Remember if you get lost in the hop, head back to lawnfawn where it all started.

                                    Big THANKS and HUGS to Kelly for organizing the hop!

This drive is quite near and dear to my heart. I love it! I love creating cards in the hope that they will bring a smile to some kids faces. I love that I can send a tiny piece of love all wrapped up in an envelope for a few pennies. So, that said, if 1 card is good, 4 are even better. Here are a few I am sending along on this round.

Supplies: White card stock, Hero Arts Friend definition stamp inked with fired brick Distress ink by Ranger, Girl, frog and fly stamps: Basic Grey colored with Prismacolor pencils, patterned paper MME Home collection, sentiment Hero Arts

Supplies:Bear die cut from Create a Critter cartridge from Provo Craft, Blue card stock DCWV Citrus collection embossed with tiny mosaic folder by Cuttlebug, patterned paper Prima Marketing Rock Out Bro collection, Prima flower with custom brad made with the i- top, sentiment on brad by Hero Arts, friends forever stamp by Technique Tuesday .

  
Admittedly, this card looks like it is having a bad hair day..... I should have taken a bit more care in primping but I still like it's wild and crazy way!
Supplies: Bazzil card stock, stamp: Me & My Big Ideas, copic markers, background stamp Technique Tuesday, sentiment Hero Arts, eyelets, ribbon: Offray

I  think this one is my favorite. It is a variation of a card I did at Valley Forge with Technique Tuesday.

Supplies: Bazzill card stock, patterned strips white card stock inked with Ranger Distress Inks in wild honey, dried marigold and crushed olive, what's hiding under the bed and monster stamps by Recollections, hounds tooth stamp by Technique Tuesday stamped with rich cocoa ink by Memento, copic markers.

Projects from Creating Keepsakes Convention, Valley Forge

After a super packed, hectic two days in Valley Forge at the CK Convention, my computer was out of commission with a virus. It is back up, albeit slow, but it is working ...so before it is time for next year's convention, I wanted to post a few photos.
I took a lot of really good classes, but because the time is condensed, only finished a portion of the projects . The upside to that is you come home with goody bags of lovely things to finish. So finish I did, then they were such happy projects, they wanted to be photographed and shared.

Picture 1: I think my favorite project class was the Technique Tuesday Top Tips for Tantalizing Cards....oh my, these cards were truly wonderful, and I will definitely be making them again.
Picture 2: The Magic Moments class had all the pretty colors, with those really beautiful flowers with the gigantic brads for centers.
Picture3: Six FAB layouts were completed in the Latest and Greatest with Basic Grey.
Picture 4: All the loot. Mostly Basic Grey Paper Packs, Technique Tuesday grab bags and tiles ( both discounted at the crop), Tattered Angels mat, screens and Glimmer Mist in Pomegranate ( LOVE), a couple Cricut cartridges , and of course distress inks because, really now, what is the point of shopping if there isn't some Tim Holtz involved somewhere?

I also took a class on Digital Photography with Candice Stringham, one of my favorite photographers who used to write all the photography articles for Creating Keepsakes but now works with Jessica Sprague, Digital Goddess over at :http://www.jessicasprague.com/ Wow, did I learn a lot in that one hour. Her class was the one in which I gained the most knowledge.

Even though the conventions are wild and crazy, and you never feel like there is enough time for everything,I highly recommend going if you get the chance.

A bit of organization

Here is a little peek at what I have been working on for awhile. It was not a small project, but it felt satisfying to finish. For months ( dare I even say years ) my scrapbook pages have sat on a shelf in varying states of completion.Some were tucked safely inside page protectors, others remained naked subject to catching and krinkling as I put other pages on top. I sat indecisive about how I wanted to group my pages, so blank scrapbooks remained empty just waiting to be filled and looked at.
This was my stack of pages:

I spent quite a few hours sorting and putting page protectors on the pages that I had worked so long on, trying to put the pages in an order that made some sort of sense. In the end, I tried to go mostly chronologically, except for Christmas, which has its own scrapbook. The best part of the whole experience was the fact that I was re inspired by my own pages. I had done some scrapping that I was really proud of, designs I really liked and that made me want to scrap more ... and I have...yay....will try to post some of those soon.

 

The kids started going throught them as soon as they hit the upstairs bookcase. My oldest asked if she could be the first to look at them. That makes me feel good. They all enjoy the memories evoked from scrapbooks and ask questions about things they have absolutley no recollection of. History preserved and passed down. Yay me!

For now, I am excited to be leaving day after tomorrow for the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Valley Forge, Pa. Heading up with some scrapping friends for 2 days of classes and shopping.Can't wait....of course, we didn't really factor in time for sleeping or eating....but we will do the important things...you know... scrap...learn...laugh...shop...and come home broke and exhausted.

Bad blogger post

I can't seem to get the blogging mojo back... it is summertime....I have more time to actually post yet....I don't really feel it. I have been scrapbooking and cardmaking and organizing, but... I haven't felt like posting about it....

So in an attempt to break the cycle, here is a sympathy card I made for Grace's (see previous post) parents. I can't send a card for a child and not send one for the parents!

:

Stamped image by Hero Arts using white embossing powder. Distress inks by Ranger: tumbled glass ( oh my, is this a fabulous color) , broken china, peeled paint, crushed olive ( another new color I LOVE ). Sentiment by Hero Arts .

I like how the card came out. Fairly simple, no ribbon or embellishments, flowers and love....

Cards for Grace

Another card drive for Grace who lost her twin sister , Ellie, to cancer recently. My favorite gal, Jennifer McGuire is sending cards her way. Cards need to be sent by the end of July. This is a great service project for those bored kids on summer vacation, as well as moms who need a few minutes away from those bored kids. Please go here for more info about sending cards for Grace:http://jennifermcguireink.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/06/need-your-help-cards-for-grace.html

Here are a couple of the cards I am sending her way. I am so in love with the Create a Critter cartridge from Provo Craft.

The koala card is inked with spun sugar distress ink and Hero Arts stamp, cling dots in victorian velvet distress ink. Sentiments for both cards from Hero Arts, Everday Sayings, Bazzill cardstock. The panda bear is embossed with Cuttlebug folder :bamboo and inked with peeled paint and crushed olive distress ink.

I spent most of one day and part of the next making tons of critters all sized at 3 inches for more cards. Some will be used for more cards for kids and then I think I will stock pile a few to have on hand. What kid wouldn't want a cute critter on their card? Heck, I want a cute critter on a card for ME ! LOL !

Please take a few minutes out of your day to brighten someone else's !

Thank you, Jennifer McGuire

I know....I know.... I have said it before, but, I LOVE Jennifer McGuire http://jennifermcguireink.typepad.com/ . I follow her blog daily ( but I am not obsessed or anything ... not even remotely like a....stalker....( insert nervous laughter here) ) and recently, just for leaving a little ole comment, she sent me one of Tim Holtz's new Sizzix dies. OMG ! Now these are my two favorite people in the scrapbook industry and I resent your thinking that I am a Tim Holtz stalker...( insert really nervous laughter here...and ...here...just for good measure ). I sent her my address and the beautiful crest showed up in my mailbox. It is regal and fabulous, so I set about making a few thank you tags. All Tim Holtz http://www.timholtz.com distress inks and stamps. The Sizzix dies even cut material that is not paper, so I cut up the plastic packaging that the die came in and sent it through the machine- it cut it like a knife through warm butter.... those plastic cuts I inked with Tim's alcohol inks and a little glitz was added with the Stardust jelly roll pen.

Thank you, Jennifer McGuire and thanks to Tim Holtz for your continous inspiration and fabulous products!

M.I.A

It has been awhile since I have had a moment or the inclination to post. Life has kept me busy. My oldest child is now a high school graduate and the last few weeks have been a blur of activity. School just finished today for the other 3, so hopefully this means a slower paced life for at least a couple of weeks.

I have had quite a few cards and projects done over the last three weeks, and I will be posting those soon but first I have to share the project my youngest and I finished for her 2nd grade teacher. It is a book of critters from the Create a Critter cartridge for the Cricut. This is my newest and most favorite cartridge. The critters are so cute, and as you can see, they layer nicely . My daughter is pretty savvy with my Cricut Expression and can load and unload and cut the different feature keys. She choose the colors for the paper and glued the die cuts together. I covered the $1.oo chipboard album with her choice of patterned paper and then she glued the critters on top. I think it is SOOOOOO cute! Her teacher loves our creative projects!

Hero Arts ...coming soon...

Love, Love, LOVE Hero Arts stamps. Coming soon.... new summer arts and crafts... watch for them... June 1st

http://tinyurl.com/39z2sdv

Birthdays and challenges

Yesterday was my husband's birthday so naturally there was cake. This one was quite nice. A recipe via the Cake Doctor: chocolate chip cake with a chocolate cream cheese (sigh) frosting and topped with... yes, you know it....more chocolate in the form of mini chocolate chips . Sadly, the cake is all gone tonight....

Today, I had a minute or two to participate in another My Pink Stamper challenge. This time a color challenge, use yellow, green and brown so I used my new Create A Critter cartridge and pulled out my Martha Stewart fringe scissors . I love this critter cartridge ( a gift for Mother's day), everything is so cute!

MPS NSD Challenge #1

I couldn't sleep last night so I did one last challenge.. which was actually the first challenge- to create something for a Mother or someone else you care about. Here is my card...





Blue bazzill cardstock embossed with Swiss Dots ( my all time favorite ) Cuttlebug folder, frame cut from Plantin Schoolbook cartridge and inked with broken china, mustard seed and peeled paint distress inks, Engraved daisy Cling stamp from Hero Arts embossed with white embossing powder, pot cut from Walk in My Garden Cricut cartridge, embossed in white with sentiments from Hero Arts, white jelly roll pen and finished with a touch of ribbon.

Another MPS NSD Challenge #11

I had a little time to work on another of My Pink Stamper's challenges. This time the challenge was to use the colors of the rainbow- red, orange, yellow, green and blue. I had thoughts of rainbows and light and fluffy things when it hit me- go the other way. Grunge and some black changed my whole plan. I love doing tags ( thank you Tim Holtz ) so I cut out a cardboard tag, the word "Time" from the Graphically Speaking Cricut cartridge ( 4 times and glued them together to give it more weight). I then covered the whole tag with memory foil and applied alcohol inks to give the rainbow colors. I stamped the clock and Enjoy the Journey from Tim Holtz's Stamper's Anonymus collections. Black raffia finished up the tag.

MPS Challenge #2- NSD

Here is the second challenge I was able to finish...We were challenged to use our scraps in a project- just scraps.... I had some of my favorite DCWV metallic paper lying around...almost a half a sheet so I used that for the base of my card, some MME patterned paper, and some pretty ugly salmon cardstock that I distressed with Vintage Photo distress ink and punched with an EK success punch. The butterfly was cut from The OnceUpon A Princess Cricut cartridge and popped up with some dimensional dots. Antennas were made from a bit of gold bow wire glued to the bottom of the head. Sentiment is from Hero Arts Happy Hello set. White pen- Jelly Roll by Sakura.

MPS Challenge #8

Well today was my oldest daughter's senior prom, so I haven't been able to play along with The Pink Stamper's National Scrapbooking Day challenge, until now. Here is my entry for her eighth challenge- Love My Color. We were challenged to do a monochromatic project, with 1 color and 1 neutral. I picked my favorite color, purple and just a touch of white. I will add a bit of journaling later...

Grungepaper flower

Last week I was so excited to win some Tim Holtz grungepaper from Simon Says Stamp:

http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/

so.... I have been wanting to make some grungepaper roses since I saw Tim Holtz demonstrate the method on his blog for the 12 tags of Christmas 2009 : http://www.timholtz.typepad.com/

It is a bit labor intensive and he is better at it than I am, so, if you are interested in the method check out his tags for 2009...you'll be happy you did.

Here is my version that I did on a little thank you tag.

The stamps were all by Tim Holtz and distress ink colors were scattered straw, old paper, tea dye and aged mahogany. The rose was glimmer misted with Red Velvet color by Tattered Angels then aged with a bit of tea dye distress ink around the edges.

I just love packages in the mail

Don't you ? I used up some Cricut Reward points last week and ordered the Asian Cuttlebug bundle. OMG! I saw this first when it was packaged with the blue version of the Cuttlebug and fell in love with it. Last week, when I went to redeem some reward points ( I have gotten some really great things by wracking up my reward points ), I saw they were offering the Asian bundle as a possibility. No second thinking here, I clicked on that order button immediately. Yesterday , my package came with the Fed EX man. Don't you just love the Fed EX and UPS people? I do. I really, really really do....

Naturally, I had to give them a run through.... I inked over the images so that the designs would show up a little better. I don't know if I have stated this on my blog before....but in addition to my distress ink addiction....I also have a Cuttlebug embossing addiction. It is hard for me to make anything without embossing it in some way. These will definitely get a workout.

The embossing folders in this collection are Plum Blossoms, Oriental Weave, Kimiko, Bamboo, Japanese Scales, Mandarin Screen, Koi, and Lanterns

If you would like to check these out on the Cricut website here are the links:

http://www.cricut.com/shop/#1/36/933/7/Cuttlebug/Cuttlebug%20Embossing%20Folders,%20Oriental%20Weave%20Set

and

http://www.cricut.com/shop/#1/36/932/3/Cuttlebug/Cuttlebug%20Embossing%20Folders,%20Plum%20Blossom%20Setm%20Blossom%20Set